Bar bell having collapsible chambers



Jan. 25, 1966 M. WINER BAR BELL HAVING COLLAPSIBLE CHAMBERS Filed July 25, 1962 United States Patent BA-RBELL HAVING COLLAPSIBLE CHAMBERS Marvin Winer, 524 Rushton Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed July 23, 1962, Ser. No. 211,911 2 Claims. (Cl; 27284) masses of various weights removably secured to the extremities of a bar.

By this means a bar bell of predetermined weight may be had for exercising and the weight of the bar may be increased in discrete amounts as a person'becomesmore proficient.

While this method of constructing a bar bell is in common 'use it suffers from a number of disadvantages. Among such disadvantages is the difliculty of storage and handling of the masses while the bar bell is not in actual use. It will be appreciated that since the combined Weight of allthe massesis usually more than the athlete can lift, then considerable effort is required to assemble and store away the masses after each work-out even when done individually.

A second disadvantage is found in the fact that the purchase price of prior type bar bells is kept disproportionately high in contrast with the-cost due to the shipping charges involved in distributing this considerable weight.

The high cost of shipping also prevents long distance "shipping which usually results in local manufacture of smalllots and this in turn further increases the purchase price.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bar bell of the character described having means of simply and continuously varying the weight thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bar bell using water as the main portion of the weight whereupon after exercising a person may discard the water thus leaving a lightweight bar bell which may be easily handled and stored.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bar bell wherein the masses have a fixed centre of gravity for any given weight.

'It is a still further object of this invention to provide a bar bell which may be disassembled for ease of transport and storage.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bar bell which, while incorporating the foregoing objects may be manufactured at a comparatively low cost and shipped at a proportional charge.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings of a presently preferred embodiment in which like numerals refer to like parts.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention and illustrates the bar bell assembled and ready for use;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one water chamber as seen from the inside face; and

FIG. 3 is a section along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 1 a bar bell indicated as 11 comprises a centre bar 12 having removably secured to the ends thereof end bars 13 and 14 which support water chambers 15 and 16 respectively. End bars 13 and 14 are prevented from inadvertent removal from centre bar 12 by means of clips 17 and 18, details of which may be seen in FIG. 3 and will be later described.

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Water chamber 16 is similar in all respects to water chamber 15 and for this reason only one will be herein described and toward this end reference will now be had to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

As will be seen from the drawing, chamber 15 comprises outer half 19 and inner half 20 joined peripherally at rim 21. In this preferred embodiment 'half 19 is formed in a series of concentric steps or in the shape of a beehive, the reason for this being to increase the rigidity of this structure.

A pair of clamping plates 22 and 23 are secured centrally and to either face of half 19 by means of rivets 24,

plates 22 and 23 thus serving as a reinforced point of attachment as well as providing a watertight seal. A plug 25 secured within the outer end of bar 13 has a threaded stud 26 protruding therefrom. Stud 26 protrudes through a centrally located hole in plates 22 and 23 and in half 19 and a wing nut 27is used to draw bar 13 tightly up against seal 28 whereby a removable water tight attachment is provided between half 19 and bar 13.

With particular reference to FIG. 2 it will be noted that half 20 has a plurality of spirally placed pleats 29 formed inthematerial, pleats 29 starting at a position near the hub indicated as 30 and extending substantially to rim21 of half 20.

Hub 30 comprises inner plate 31 and outer flange 32 compressing therebetween half 20 by means of rivets 33. Centrally located holes in plate 31 and flange 32 provided a freely sliding fit about bar 13, whereas a centrally located hole in half 20 is greater than the diameter of bar 13. A compressible seal 34 is positioned in the space provided by this hole in half 20 and provides a moving seal along the length of bar 13.

A 'thumbscrew 35 is threadably inserted. in flange 32 and is thus adapted to bear on bar 13 and position hub 30 thereupon.

It is preferable to form a lip 36 on half 19 at rim 21 to further increase the stiffness and at the same time provide a buffer against shock loads and abrasion. In this way the water containing portion of chamber 15 is protected against direct contact with the floor or other surface upon bar bell 11 being dropped in the normal course of exercising.

A pair of plugs 37 are removably inserted within a pair of diametrically opposed holes located in the peripheral portion of half 19 and provide means of filling and draining chamber 15 with water or other fluid 38.

Bar 13 is provided with knurling 39 in order to prevent an athletes hand from slipping as well as to indicate the preferred spacing of the grip. A scale 40 is also 1mprinted upon bar 13 which by registration of flange 32 therewith provides direct reading of the weight of chamber 15 for any particular setting.

Bar 13 is a sliding fit within a hole in bar 12 and a pin 41 on clip 17 is removably inserted within radially aligned holes in bars 12 and 13 and when inserted prevents rotation or removal of bar 13 relative to bar 12.

In order to use bar bell 11 it would be first necessary to assemble the various portions and to fill chambers 15 and 16 with water. A preferred method of accomplishing this is to first position hub 30 at any predetermined position along the length of bar 13, this position being indicated by scale 40, the reading being the selected weight.

During movement of hub 30 half 20 deforms continuously at the periphery, the remainder of half 20 maintaining a generally conical configuration. It is a requirement of chamber 15 that the configuration remain substantially static for any particular setting during handling. This is necessary since the centre of gravity of the water mass must be fixed on the centre line of bar 13.

It will be seen that any tendency of chamber 15 to sag will result in a downward displacement of the centre of gravity with a consequent unbalance about the rotational axis. This unbalance could result in a dangerous unc-on trollable twisting force particularly when an athlete is lifting near his limit.

Whereas stiffness and rigidity of stationary half 19 is reasonably built in the problem of providing a sag proof half 20 is quite different. It has been found that by providing the configuration for half 20 as has been herein described and shown, that half 20 may be made from a flexible, substantially non-resilient material. Thus pleats 29 permit flexing of the material in two directions simultaneously, that is both radially and tangentially at the periphery of half 20 upon movement of hub 30.

It is to be noted that for any position of hub 30 and thus for any volume of chamber 15 that water 38 completely fills chamber 15 and thus sloshing of water 38 with attendant uncontrollable acceleration forces is prevented. It is also to be noted that the volume of chamber 15 and thus the weight is continuously adjustable between the upper and lower limits of the chamber volume.

Upon the position of hub 30 being reached thumbscrew 35 is tightened and upper plug 37 is removed. Water 38 may then be poured into chamber 15 by means of a tube or other container until chamber 15 is completely filled whereupon plug 37 is reinserted.

This procedure is repeated for both chambers 15 and 16 after which they may be assembled to centre bar 12 by means of clips 17. At this point bar bell 11 is ready for use in the normal manner. After use chambers 15 and 16 may be removed from bar 12 and lower plug 37 and upper plug 37 can be removed in order that water 38 may be drained.

It is worthwhile to note that bar 13 may be removed from chamber 15 by removing nut 27 and withdrawing bar 13. Half 20 may then be collapsed into half 19 and the two chambers 15 and 16 be nested for transport and storage. It is also worthwhile to note that bars 12, 13 and 14 comprise three substantially equal length bars the individual length of which is similar to the circumscribed square of the diameter of chambers 15 and 16 making the packaging of bar bell 11 comparatively inexpensive.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the present invention comprises at least one chamber of variable volume having lifting means, said chamber being substantially non-deformable during use thereof, and said chamber being substantially full of fluid during said use.

It will be further understood that while a presently preferred embodiment of the instant invention has herein been disclosed, certain alterations in design and form may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and while still falling within the scope of the appended claims.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A bar bell comprising an elongated bar, a variable volume fluid chamber at each end of the bar, the bar extending centrally through each fluid chamber, each fluid chamber having a first fixed portion and a second collapsible, movable portion that is continuously movable along the bar from a minimum volume position to a maximum volume position and vice versa, and the bar having readily visible exposed indicia means registering with a .point on said second movable portion of each fluid chamber to indicate the volume of the fluid chamber at any position of the second movable portion and hence to indicate the weight of fluid within the fluid chamber.

2. A bar bell as claimed in claim 1 wherein each fluid chamber has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 325,987 9/1885 Sparks 27284 702,356 6/1902 Clavert 27284 787,407 4/ 1905 Shepherd 27284 1,019,584 3/1912 Balston 27284 2,470,816 5/ 1949 Harvey 27284 2.899.110 8/1959 Parker ISO-0.5

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BAR BELL COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BAR, A VARIABLE VOLUME FLUID CHAMBER AT EACH END OF THE BAR, THE BAR EXTENDING CENTRALLY THROUGH EACH FLUID CHAMBER, EACH FLUID CHAMBER HAVING A FIRST FIXED PORTION AND A SECOND COLLAPSIBLE, MOVABLE PORTION THAT IS CONTINUOUSLY MOVABLE ALONG THE BAR FROM A MINIMUM VOLUME POSITION TO A MAXIMUM VOLUME POSITION AND VICE VERSA, AND THE BAR HAVING READILY VISIBLE EXPOSED INDICIA MEANS REGISTERING WITH A POINT ON SAID SECOND MOVABLE PORTION OF EACH FLUID CHAMBER TO INDICATE THE VOLUME OF THE FLUID CHAMBER AT ANY POSITION OF THE SECOND MOVABLE PORTION AND HENCE TO INDICATE THE WEIGHT OF FLUID WITHIN THE FLUID CHAMBER. 